A stroll along the Hudson River will now take you from one tip of Manhattan to the other.

A brass band played and a ribbon was cut on a new waterfront path in Riverside Park today, connecting two stretches of parks that had been disconnected from 83rd to 91st Streets.

Joggers, cyclists and dog walkers will now be able to go straight down the west side.

The path is the final link of the Waterfront Greenway that stretches from Battery Park to Dyckman Street.

"Currently, cyclists have to ride up to the main portion of the park where they're intersecting with pedestrians and people walking dogs, families and kids,” said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “So now, people who want to just keep on passing right through can stay along the water."

Previously, cyclists and pedestrians had to detour through the main section of the Riverside Park for that half-mile stretch near the Henry Hudson Parkway.

"For New Yorkers and visitors, everyone who bicycles, jogs, walks, looks at the Hudson, this is incredibly exciting and it has been done beautifully,” said Manhattan Councilwoman Gale Brewer.

Nearby residents and other New Yorkers soon came to the walkway and told NY1 they give it rave reviews.

"I always have to go up to the top and the gardens are beautiful but it will be much nicer just to cruise along the river now and not have to take the bypass," said a New Yorker.

"I really like it up in the trees there but it is nice to be by the boats as well, so it's a good change of scenery," said another.

"It's beautiful. We're going to use it, and we love it, it's great," said a third.

Capital funds allocated by Mayor Michael Bloomberg paid for most of the nearly $16 million project.

Meanwhile, the city is also working on efforts to provide more riverfront access for cyclists and others along the East River, as part of the mayor's plans for a greener city.